Watch Dogs 2 to Support DirectX 12, Optimized for AMD

[ffronw]

Watch Dogs 2 to Support DirectX 12, Optimized for AMD

//cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/1303/1303808.jpgMuch of Watch Dogs 2 is is still hidden, but we now know a little bit more about the PC version of Ubisoft's upcoming open-world title.

While a full unveiling of the sequel likely won't be made until E3 in June, a few tidbits concerning the PC version were revealed at AMD's GDC press briefing a couple of weeks back. Details were slim, but we do know that the game will support DirectX 12, and its presence at AMD's briefing would seem to suggest that it will be optimized for that company's graphics cards.

You might recall a bit of a brouhaha over the original Watch Dogs' inclusion of Nvidia's GameWorks toolset, and the resulting claims that it caused a performance hit of up to 40 percent for AMD cards. It seems that with the sequel, Ubisoft is hopping to AMD's side of the fence.

There's precious little other information on Watch Dogs 2 at this point. The game was first revealed in a February earnings call, and is scheduled to launch by the end of April 2017, although some reports [http://kotaku.com/sources-next-big-assassins-creed-set-in-egypt-skippin-1750937895] claim it could be as early as this year.

Source: The Country Caller [http://www.thecountrycaller.com/54684-watch-dogs-2-features-directx-12-support-will-be-highly-optimized-for-amd/]

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[Fappy]

As long as the main character's ICONIC[sup]TM[/sup] hat returns, I'll be satisfied.

There's precious little other information on Watch Dogs 2 at this point. The game was first revealed in a February earnings call, and is scheduled to launch by the end of April 2017, although some reports claim it could be as early as this year.

This year?! That's not nearly enough time to release a misleading tech demo before revealing what the game actually looks like! Ubisoft's getting bold!

 

[ffronw]

I'm surprised it's getting a sequel, considering how much the first one failed to live up to the hype.

I really wanted to like Watch Dogs, but the gameplay just became too repetitive and boring to me, and the main character was just lacking in charisma, but the premise I liked, so maybe this can deliver where the first one failed.

 

[Poetic Nova]

We'll see.

The first game didn't ran well on most rigs from what I gathered, and lots of graphical settings where dummied out.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

They need to optimize it for fun. Then I'll care.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

I'm surprised it's getting a sequel, considering how much the first one failed to live up to the hype.

I really wanted to like Watch Dogs, but the gameplay just became too repetitive and boring to me, and the main character was just lacking in charisma, but the premise I liked, so maybe this can deliver where the first one failed.

Well, I'm pretty sure Watch Dogs actually sold reasonably well, despite the fan reception. It also showed a lot of untapped potential that was chained to the previous gen of consoles. The seeds of a pretty good game were right there, it just needed a few tweaks.

With some slightly better direction, writing, and a bit more focus on what made Watch Dogs interesting in the first place (as opposed to ripping off GTA), the sequel could very well be the breakout this IP needs.

I'll at least be keeping an eye on Watch Dogs 2, and hoping that Ubisoft learns from their mistakes.

 

[KaraFang]

I presume they are moving to AMD's side of the fence as they're probably hoping that it'll make streamlining the game from PC construction platform to the PS4 (which, if I recall has a AMD based GPU) that much easier. As I have a feeling the PS4 is already lacking juice and Nvidia wasn't able to help.

Meh, didn't buy the 1st one after all the negative press... doubt I'll do it for number 2. The Protagonist has as much interest to me as a wet blanket.

 

[Callate]

I liked Watch Dogs well enough. I would consider playing a sequel if it reviews well.

But making any sort of hay about the graphics capabilities it will have or the hardware or version of DirectX it will use is completely useless; no one is going to accept any preview footage they produce, or take any claims as to what the new game/engine will be capable of, at face value.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

I'm surprised it's getting a sequel, considering how much the first one failed to live up to the hype.

I really wanted to like Watch Dogs, but the gameplay just became too repetitive and boring to me, and the main character was just lacking in charisma, but the premise I liked, so maybe this can deliver where the first one failed.

Ubisoft have flat out said that they won't make a game if they don't see it having franchise potential, at least as far as their main line-up is concerned.

It's pretty likely that we'll get a Crew 2 at some point, and with Assassin's Creed taking a pause and diversifying as of late (with the Chronicles mini-series) this fits with their past actions and overall corporate strategy. It's sad, cynical and calculated, but Watch_Dogs still did incredibly well for a new IP. It's a surprising trend, since both it, The Division and Destiny did well despite lukewarm reception from critics and the gaming community at large, but I suppose that shows the fundamental divide between us enthusiasts and the main market force that currently makes up the industry.

OP: I hope WD2 launches with fewer PC issues and isn't embarrassed by a mod a few weeks in by its fidelity. That was a goddamn shambles that Ubisoft sadly hasn't really gotten around to fixing yet with it's recent titles.

I remember back when I thought Assassin's Creed III and IV looked great on PC, but it looks like things have gone backwards.

And on another note, where the hell is my Prince of Persia? Everything else is getting sequelised like hell, except for that Silver Age goodness (and Beyond Good and Evil 2, but that's comparable to fairy dust by this point).

 

[Kameburger]

PLEEEEEASE Just have a different protagonist that's entertaining to watch and a story that doesn't feel like someone made a story by knocking over a shelf of 90's action films onto a type writer! I really liked the mechanics of watchdogs, but my god was that story painful.....

 

[Laughing Man]

Well Watchdogs sold some 9 million units so it's not hard to see why Ubisoft would be straining to squeeze out another half baked pile of shite wearing an iconic cap. The thing is I am willing to bet that a good portion of those 9million were sold on pre order prior to people actually getting their hands on the game and seeing just how utterly crap it was.

Seriously I bought the game I was so bored with the premise and the lackluster way in which it did everything combined with the god awful car handling (can't remember what gun play was like) that I gave up within a few hours and haven't touched it since.

The reality is I doubt Watchdogs 2 will sell anyway near as well, certainly not at release, Ubisoft shot themselves in the foot by lying about features, making the gameplay look more fun in videos than it actually was, making the game look better and play better than it

a). actually ran
b). it actually could look because Ubisoft locked graphical features down before release

The worst thing for Wacthdogs is that someone released a mod for GTA5 that allows you to do the hacking that you can do in Watchdogs and THAT, a free mod for someone elses game, results in a better looking, more fun and more engaging game than Watchdogs itself.

It's clear that Ubisoft has invested some serious cash in to this IP and it seems to think that people want to buy this game, as someone who bought Watchdogs on pre order I can tell you right here and right now Ubisoft would have to give me a free copy for me to even look at Watchdogs 2... no skip that they would have to pay me to play the game.

 

[OuendanCyrus]

I wonder how many editions of this game Ubisoft will end up making, and which piece of iconic garment of Aiden's they'll provide.

 

[Metalrocks]

so, the first game didnt run well on most machines. even i had issues and my rig was under the recommended specs that i should be able to play it on max settings. after a serious upgrade to my rig, it ran really well but the damage was already done. a bit surprised to hear that they talk about the pc version and even mention the chip sets. since pretty much majority of their games are made for nvidia cards.

well, i guess they want to force more "iconic" crap down our throat.

 

[Nurb]

Hardly anything supported DX11, right? Why are they pushing 12?

 

[Strazdas]

And im just sitting here happy there actually is a sequel.

You might recall a bit of a brouhaha over the original Watch Dogs' inclusion of Nvidia's GameWorks toolset, and the resulting claims that it caused a performance hit of up to 40 percent for AMD cards. It seems that with the sequel, Ubisoft is hopping to AMD's side of the fence.

You mean the lie perpetrated by AMD's PR that was proven to be false?

I presume they are moving to AMD's side of the fence as they're probably hoping that it'll make streamlining the game from PC construction platform to the PS4 (which, if I recall has a AMD based GPU) that much easier. As I have a feeling the PS4 is already lacking juice and Nvidia wasn't able to help.

Both consoles are running AMD APUs that are in fact identical (other than a slight underclock) to what AMD put in a Tablet last year.

But making any sort of hay about the graphics capabilities it will have or the hardware or version of DirectX it will use is completely useless; no one is going to accept any preview footage they produce, or take any claims as to what the new game/engine will be capable of, at face value.

considering that the primary reason for graphical struggles in Ubisoft games were the limitations in DirectX 11 that were solved in DirectX 12 (namely - drawcalls), the DirectX version is a very important thing to mention.

Hardly anything supported DX11, right? Why are they pushing 12?

pretty much every big AAA game since ~2011 supported DX11. DX12 offer many significant improvements in precisely the spots that Ubisoft was struggling with for a few years now. DX 12 is great for Ubi.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Well, at this point in time, DX12 is inherently AMD biased.
The improvements it brings to AMD hardware are huge, the improvements for Nvidia hardware are typically quite minimal.

So... Make it DX12 exclusive and you've pretty much created a pro-AMD bias by default, without really doing anything else.

Still... I doubt much will come of this.
AMD optimised games don't tend to suffer noticeably on Nvidia hardware, as far as I've seen...